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Applying for CIL Funding

East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC) is obligated, under the CIL Regulations 2010 (as amended), to produce a Regulation 123 list (R123 list). This list sets out the infrastructure projects that could benefit from CIL funding. The distribution of CIL funding is a matter for the Council to decide, but the Regulations only permit expenditure of CIL funds on infrastructure projects that are included on the R123 list.

At ECDC the R123 List comprises infrastructure projects necessary to deliver sustainable growth and improve quality of life for residents across the district. Rather than have a long list of projects that that Council may not have sufficient funds to support or that may never be delivered, ECDC is committed to having a meaningful list of projects that:

Support growth across the district

Fit with the Councils infrastructure priorities

Are match funded

In order to be included on the list a project must be meet the criteria set and be approved by ECDC Full Council.

A project being included on the R123 List does not signify a guarantee of CIL funding. Whether a project receives CIL funding will depend on the Council’s priorities at the time of the application for funding being made, and the amount of CIL funding available. The District Council will ensure timely release of funds when invoices are received for satisfactorily completed works.

Application Process

A stakeholder can apply, at any time, for a project to be included on the R123 List. After establishing that a project meets all the pre-application criteria, the stakeholder should submit a completed R123 List Expression of Interest form (available below) to ECDC.

All your personal information will be held and used in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). For details of how we gather, define and use your information please see the ECDC Privacy Notice.

Once the Expression of Interest has been received, Officers will convene the Joint East Cambridgeshire and Cambridgeshire County Council Member and Officer Steering Group for Planning and Transport. The group will discuss and assess the application against the criteria. If the project meets the stated criteria and scores 50% or over, a recommendation will be made Full Council that it is included on the R123 List. A decision will then be made at the next Full Council meeting, whether to approve the recommendation.

If an application is unsuccessful, the applicant will be advised why and, if appropriate, whether they should consider re-applying at a different time.

Scoring criteria

A copy of the scoring criteria and details of sources of evidence and potential match funding can be found below. Applicants are advised to consider this information before completing the Expression of Interest form.

In order to be eligible for CIL funding a project must satisfy the criteria below:

Be necessary to support local growth.

The total cost of the project must be between £50,000 - £2,000,000.

Match funding and a financial contribution from the organisation submitting application must have been secured.

The project must be deliverable within 3-5 years.

If the project is highways or education related, the application must be accompanied by a letter of support from the relevant CCC department.

Eligible projects will be scored on their ability to meet the criteria set out below; extra weighting will be given to the scores awarded for good fit with the Councils infrastructure priorities.

What CIL can and cannot fund

CIL Regulations state that funds must be spent on ‘infrastructure necessary to support growth’.

The Planning Act 2008 provides a wide definition of infrastructure which can be funded by the levy, including (but not exclusively) transport, flood defences, schools, hospitals, other health care, social care, play areas, parks and green spaces, cultural and sports facilities, district heating schemes, police stations and other community safety facilities.

CIL can only be spent on capital projects, although associated revenue spending to maintain those capital items is also permissible.

It can be used to increase the capacity of existing infrastructure or to repair failing infrastructure if that is necessary to support development

CIL cannot be used to fund solutions to existing problems i.e. traffic calming/management or on repairs to existing infrastructure in an area that hasn’t experienced housing growth.

Potential sources of match funding

The Amey Community Fundoffers financial assistance to local not-for-profit organisations that deliver benefits to the general public, biodiversity or the environment, within a 10 mile radius of a landfill site.

The Biffa Award was established in 1997 under the Landfill Communities Fund and through the Fund they support a wide range of community and environmental projects across the UK.

The Big Lottery Fund awards grants to UK organisations to help improve their communities.

The ECDC Community Facilities Grant offers funding to develop and improve village halls, community centres, sport and leisure centres, play facilities and public open spaces, protecting and enhancing the quality of life for residents within East Cambridgeshire.

WREN is a not-for-profit business that helps benefit the lives of people who live close to landfill sites by awarding grants for community, biodiversity and heritage projects.

The Community and Leisure Team at ECDC have produced a Community Funding Toolkit which provides details of potential funders and guidance on completing application forms. The Toolkit can be found below.